Category | Op Ed

It’s time to scrap Scrappy

Published on March 13, 2007 by The Sentinel

   Mascots are an important part of any organization’s identity. They
represent school spirit and pride, all wrapped up in a cheesy costume
running along the sidelines at a sporting event. What would KSU be
without our beloved Scrappy the Owl?


   Personally, I think we would be fine. Sure, we need a
mascot. But does Scrappy really represent KSU’s unique student body?
After coming across a dead owl a few weeks ago while hiking near
Kennesaw Mountain, I realized that an owl does little justice in
representing who we are.

   Seriously, who is scared of an owl? What KSU needs is a
mascot who is ferocious and perfect in every way. We need a mascot that
is ruler among animals, a king among beasts and a god among humans. We
need to rise above the shackles of a lame mascot and ascend to a place
where the mere mention of our mascot’s name sends waves of terror to
our rival hockey team.

        We must become the KSU Canadian Geese.

    I am sensing some apprehension here, and I am not
really sure why. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of reasons that
ferocious yet sensible Canadian Geese would represent us perfectly. Who
hasn’t noticed the triumphant homecoming of almost a dozen real live
geese on campus? How many rival schools can boast the fact that their
mascot possesses the intelligence to return to their beloved alma mater
by choice? Now there is a fact for the admissions brochure.

    There is additional reasoning for the changing of
the mascots. Every year when the cold winds begin to blow, geese take
flight and migrate, or commute, to warmer climates. Considering the
fact that KSU is predominately a commuter campus, how can one possibly
deny the
similarity?

    And when the geese commute, they commute as a flock.
Owls tend to be loners, but geese stick together. Is collegiate
cohesiveness not one of the main goals of a productive university?

    Even more decisive reasoning comes into play when
you think about the “Canadian” part of Canadian geese.  After all,
most Americans identify Canada with hockey. And what is KSU’s most
popular sport?  Hockey! Do you see the hidden connection here? It
is almost as if the majestic Canadian goose was named for our beloved
school.

    Sure, the University of Georgia has their bulldog
and Tech has their yellow jacket, but both meager mascots collapse in
weakness and humility at the site of a ferocious, courageous Canadian
goose. It is time for KSU to grow into an even better school, and to do
that it needs to get an better mascot. Scrappy was fine for a while,
but let’s face it: Scrappy the Owl is out, the Canadian goose is in.